Solarez UV finish

JoeyInCali said:
I'm planning in building a spray rack out of aluminum extrusion . I already have a small booth and one spinner .

I don't know if the UV has fumes when it's drying . But, that stuff should not be dried inside the shop, I think. Just like auto clear .

Epoxy finish would be the safest, I think.
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While auto clear is very toxic....... this material is not even close to that...... probably not nice to smell but not as toxic..............

Kim
 
What about the sealer before the clear? The risks involved in UV exposure? It all boils down to proper protection for the materials you are using. With the proper mask I don't see 2 part urethane being any better or worse. But the amount of effort put into making the UV stuff work is huge in comparison. From what I have seen and heard there are issues with adhesion, curing, clarity and polishing. Yes there are those who have found solutions to these problems but at what cost In terms of time and money.
 
I was looking for a finish that would eliminate toxic fumes such as those from auto clear. Solarez smells at least as nasty/toxic as auto clear to me. Seemed to work OK on the one cue I used it on. I used the nail polish light to cure it. It dried fast and hard. I have no idea how well it will hold up but after several days it still seems OK. Still hard and shiny. :)
I have not used it on any furniture however, or without the epoxy sealer.

Except for the drying time, I am quite satisfied with the finish I use now. I have yet to have a problem with it. And it has no fumes.

Robin Snyder
 
Canadian cue said:
What about the sealer before the clear? The risks involved in UV exposure? It all boils down to proper protection for the materials you are using. With the proper mask I don't see 2 part urethane being any better or worse. But the amount of effort put into making the UV stuff work is huge in comparison. From what I have seen and heard there are issues with adhesion, curing, clarity and polishing. Yes there are those who have found solutions to these problems but at what cost In terms of time and money.
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It happens with big cue factories and makers even.
Some are some .020"+ thick even. :eek:
 
qbilder said:
I tried some Solarez about a year or so ago, and it was ok from what I could tell. I thought it would be a good idea to use on a chestnut oak vanity top, seeing as how it's intended for surf boards. Went on great, cured great, but when we lifted the top to install, the small amount of flex caused the finish crack & pop like broken glass. Was easy enough to fix, and ultimately worked out ok, but left me gun shy.
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Eric- You mention that this mishap worked out OK in the end. What did you do to save the day? You said it was easy to fix. Did you have to sand or scrape it all off (OOOF!) or what? Also, did you use a sealer under it?

Robin Snyder < doesn't need any broken glass!
 
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Canadian cue said:
What about the sealer before the clear? The risks involved in UV exposure? It all boils down to proper protection for the materials you are using. With the proper mask I don't see 2 part urethane being any better or worse. But the amount of effort put into making the UV stuff work is huge in comparison. From what I have seen and heard there are issues with adhesion, curing, clarity and polishing. Yes there are those who have found solutions to these problems but at what cost In terms of time and money.
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I don't use their sealer, I use epoxy.

I use a respirator ... can't smell it... with an exhaust fan

smell is gone once it's cured

no issues with adhesion

cure with a black light.... if it was dangerous, 100's of people would be blind from going to night clubs... this cures with any low power light with 350 to 400 nm wave length

it is water clear and stays that way

it sands and buffs like and other finish to a brilliant shine


check it out here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.956087717760677&type=1


Kim
 
carguy said:
Eric- You mention that this mishap worked out OK in the end. What did you do to save the day? You said it was easy to fix. Did you have to sand or scrape it all off (OOOF!) or what? Also, did you use a sealer under it?

Robin Snyder < doesn't need any broken glass!
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I flaked out as much as would flake out, then sanded the edges until the white was gone. From there I put more finish on and it blended well. To transport it again, we had to put 2x4 braces under it, to reduce flex. Granted, it's 2" thick solid chestnut oak, a type of white oak, 24" wide by 6' long, so there wasn't much flax to begin with. Lucky for me the wood was quarter sawn AND curly, so it had a lot of character going on.

It did have a stain/sealer, which is likely what led to the adhesion issue. But like I said, that left me gun shy. Anytime I have issues severe as that, I don't mess with the stuff anymore. I might also add that I was sun curing, following the manufacturer's protocol pretty exactly. Apply the finish in the shop, let it level out & free up any bubbles, then open door and wheel out into the sunlight.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted it to work. It's inexpensive, very easy to use, very easy & fast cure, and shines nice. What more could a guy want? Just didn't work out for me as well as others have claimed. That said, the piece of shaft wood I tried it on worked out much better. Still gun shy, tho.
 
Eric- Thanks for the report. Very interesting.

Years ago I had clear finish problems after using a paste filler/stain on my own furniture project. Although it was a popular brand of clear both times, over a popular brand of stain, it didn't work worth a damn for me and I got to scrape the crap off twice. My bad...I should have learned the first time but I hate to give up.
At least it didn't shatter!
Coincidently, it was a white oak dresser.

Robin Snyder
 
qbilder said:
I flaked out as much as would flake out, then sanded the edges until the white was gone. From there I put more finish on and it blended well. To transport it again, we had to put 2x4 braces under it, to reduce flex. Granted, it's 2" thick solid chestnut oak, a type of white oak, 24" wide by 6' long, so there wasn't much flax to begin with. Lucky for me the wood was quarter sawn AND curly, so it had a lot of character going on.

It did have a stain/sealer, which is likely what led to the adhesion issue. But like I said, that left me gun shy. Anytime I have issues severe as that, I don't mess with the stuff anymore. I might also add that I was sun curing, following the manufacturer's protocol pretty exactly. Apply the finish in the shop, let it level out & free up any bubbles, then open door and wheel out into the sunlight.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted it to work. It's inexpensive, very easy to use, very easy & fast cure, and shines nice. What more could a guy want? Just didn't work out for me as well as others have claimed. That said, the piece of shaft wood I tried it on worked out much better. Still gun shy, tho.
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Eric, following the protocol set by the manufacturer, would require using the UV cure-able end-grain sealer first, as that is what the gloss coat sticks the best too.. Doing that would have probably prevented the mishap that you had. My testing has shown that as long as you prep everything carefully, and wipe it all down with acetone, apply the end-grain sealer, expose it until hard...3-4 minutes, then apply another coat, expose for about 3-4 minutes, then without sanding, apply the gloss, let it set for about 20 minutes to level and allow the surfacing agent to do it's stuff, then expose for about 10 seconds, then decide if you want to do a second coat. If so, apply it and then do the same 20 minute wait. If not, go ahead and then expose for about another 3-4 minutes and done.
I have had some issues with this procedure, but have figured it out with the help of the company, and some common sense. I am now very confident in using it.
The best part of this type of finish, IMHO, after curing, it is ready to sand, it doesn't need to out gas for 5-7 days like 95% of auto clear and water based finishes need before being fully cured. Those types have a solvent base of some sort and it needs to out gas which will cause shrinkage. This stuff solidifies completely, with no solvents to out gas. It will not shrink 5 days after you applied it. To me, It saves about 2 weeks of waiting time compared to normal solvent based finishes and sealers. I brush my finishes on, so waiting 5-7 days before even being able to sand them flat is a lot of wasted time. Even Diamond Clear shrank after 4-5 days after being applied.
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
Eric, following the protocol set by the manufacturer, would require using the UV cure-able end-grain sealer first, as that is what the gloss coat sticks the best too.. Doing that would have probably prevented the mishap that you had. My testing has shown that as long as you prep everything carefully, and wipe it all down with acetone, apply the end-grain sealer, expose it until hard...3-4 minutes, then apply another coat, expose for about 3-4 minutes, then without sanding, apply the gloss, let it set for about 20 minutes to level and allow the surfacing agent to do it's stuff, then expose for about 10 seconds, then decide if you want to do a second coat. If so, apply it and then do the same 20 minute wait. If not, go ahead and then expose for about another 3-4 minutes and done.
I have had some issues with this procedure, but have figured it out with the help of the company, and some common sense. I am now very confident in using it.
The best part of this type of finish, IMHO, after curing, it is ready to sand, it doesn't need to out gas for 5-7 days like 95% of auto clear and water based finishes need before being fully cured. Those types have a solvent base of some sort and it needs to out gas which will cause shrinkage. This stuff solidifies completely, with no solvents to out gas. It will not shrink 5 days after you applied it. To me, It saves about 2 weeks of waiting time compared to normal solvent based finishes and sealers. I brush my finishes on, so waiting 5-7 days before even being able to sand them flat is a lot of wasted time. Even Diamond Clear shrank after 4-5 days after being applied.
Dave
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Sounds good .......... I will try that procedure..... on the next cue

Kim
 
Dave38 said:
Eric, following the protocol set by the manufacturer, would require using the UV cure-able end-grain sealer first, as that is what the gloss coat sticks the best too.. Doing that would have probably prevented the mishap that you had. My testing has shown that as long as you prep everything carefully, and wipe it all down with acetone, apply the end-grain sealer, expose it until hard...3-4 minutes, then apply another coat, expose for about 3-4 minutes, then without sanding, apply the gloss, let it set for about 20 minutes to level and allow the surfacing agent to do it's stuff, then expose for about 10 seconds, then decide if you want to do a second coat. If so, apply it and then do the same 20 minute wait. If not, go ahead and then expose for about another 3-4 minutes and done.
I have had some issues with this procedure, but have figured it out with the help of the company, and some common sense. I am now very confident in using it.
The best part of this type of finish, IMHO, after curing, it is ready to sand, it doesn't need to out gas for 5-7 days like 95% of auto clear and water based finishes need before being fully cured. Those types have a solvent base of some sort and it needs to out gas which will cause shrinkage. This stuff solidifies completely, with no solvents to out gas. It will not shrink 5 days after you applied it. To me, It saves about 2 weeks of waiting time compared to normal solvent based finishes and sealers. I brush my finishes on, so waiting 5-7 days before even being able to sand them flat is a lot of wasted time. Even Diamond Clear shrank after 4-5 days after being applied.
Dave
Click to expand...


Wow! Thanks for posting this. I may have to give it another shot on future furniture projects. Quite a procedure compared to what was available when the stuff first came out. Been a while since I tried it, but I recall directions were pretty crude & basic. Sounds as if they have made some leaps & bounds in use protocol, which is a positive. Not sure it would have helped me, tho. Mine didn't have any issues on end grain, but right in the center of the slab where flex was most pronounced. It may have, especially if the sealer stuck to the stain well. I believe my issue was finish not adhering well to the stain.
 
Dave38 said:
Eric, following the protocol set by the manufacturer, would require using the UV cure-able end-grain sealer first, as that is what the gloss coat sticks the best too.. Doing that would have probably prevented the mishap that you had. My testing has shown that as long as you prep everything carefully, and wipe it all down with acetone, apply the end-grain sealer, expose it until hard...3-4 minutes, then apply another coat, expose for about 3-4 minutes, then without sanding, apply the gloss, let it set for about 20 minutes to level and allow the surfacing agent to do it's stuff, then expose for about 10 seconds, then decide if you want to do a second coat. If so, apply it and then do the same 20 minute wait. If not, go ahead and then expose for about another 3-4 minutes and done.
I have had some issues with this procedure, but have figured it out with the help of the company, and some common sense. I am now very confident in using it.
The best part of this type of finish, IMHO, after curing, it is ready to sand, it doesn't need to out gas for 5-7 days like 95% of auto clear and water based finishes need before being fully cured. Those types have a solvent base of some sort and it needs to out gas which will cause shrinkage. This stuff solidifies completely, with no solvents to out gas. It will not shrink 5 days after you applied it. To me, It saves about 2 weeks of waiting time compared to normal solvent based finishes and sealers. I brush my finishes on, so waiting 5-7 days before even being able to sand them flat is a lot of wasted time. Even Diamond Clear shrank after 4-5 days after being applied.
Dave
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What lamp is needed for all that ?

Auto clears shrinkage can be minimized with wet sanding the day after . Then let it sit another day, for the final sanding and polishing process.
And don't use reducer so much. I just shot some Transtar today.
Did not need any reducer at all . Flowed nice .
I have a small booth and assisted air respirator.
 
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OKAY, so I asked Solarez about the YELLOWING and his reply was that all epoxy yellow to some point within 5 years when exposed to UV rays. To what extent, of course, depends on many factors. I asked because some users with surfboards claimed substantial yellowing.....albeit in direct sunlight of undetermined amounts of time. I guess time....literally, when used on cues..., will tell..
 
pescadoman said:
OKAY, so I asked Solarez about the YELLOWING and his reply was that all epoxy yellow to some point within 5 years when exposed to UV rays. To what extent, of course, depends on many factors. I asked because some users with surfboards claimed substantial yellowing.....albeit in direct sunlight of undetermined amounts of time. I guess time....literally, when used on cues..., will tell..
Click to expand...

That's why car makers only use UV finish inside the car .
 
pescadoman said:
OKAY, so I asked Solarez about the YELLOWING and his reply was that all epoxy yellow to some point within 5 years when exposed to UV rays. To what extent, of course, depends on many factors. I asked because some users with surfboards claimed substantial yellowing.....albeit in direct sunlight of undetermined amounts of time. I guess time....literally, when used on cues..., will tell..
Click to expand...

It is not epoxy and it does not yellow...

And how much time will a cue spend in direct sun light??

Kim
 
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